Saph was the doorkeeper at Gob. Yet he was thrown down by the hand of the alert, swift, and hasty, Sibbechai. As a monument, a sign, and a trophy to the awesome power and strength of God!
Lesson 2
Series scripture 2 Samuel 21:15-22 | lesson focus verse 18
(All Bible quotes and references are taken from the King James Version from the Blue Letter Bible at http://blueletterbible.org)
And it came to pass after this, that there was again a battle with the Philistines at Gob: then Sibbechai the Hushathite slew Saph, which was of the sons of the giant. 2 Samuel 21:18
Philistines | the Devouring Immigrants
In the above verse, we’re told that another battle took place. And the sojourning or immigrant Philistines fought with Israel. It is not a regular battle. The Philistines want to consume, eat and devour the Israelite’s as food.
The key to to understanding the implications of this verse is found in the milchamah H4421, the Hebrew word for battle and the primary root word lacham H3898. Lacham means to fight, do battle, make war, to eat and to use for food.
Gob | the Pit
It is important to note that the battle took place at Gob (H1359), which means cistern or pit. The deeper root meaning is to dig, cleave, plough, and cut or to dig a well. God once again was communicating his intentions through the names of the places. He was going to cut, plough and dig a pit.
Sibbechai | the Weaver
The name Sibbechai means “weaver” in Hebrew (H5444). It comes from the root word Cabak which means to interweave, entwine, to plait or interwoven. He was a guard and the eighth captain for the eighth month and over 24,000 of David’s men. He was referred to as a Hushathite which has tremendous significance.
Sibbechai | Alert, Quick and Hasty
Let’s look at closer at the word Hushathite (H2843). Hushathite means to be an inhabitant of Hushah, with a root meaning (H2364, H2363) to haste, to hurry to ready, to make haste, to act quickly, to be excited, to enjoy, a Judahite (a descendant from Judah), alert.
Sibbechai | Descendant of Judah
These few words are conveying to us that Sibbechai was alert, quick, hasty and excited about the task at hand. He was a descendant from Judah and this is an important fact to mention and explore because it has bearing on why he was so excited about his task.
The name Judah (H3063) means praised. The root of the word (H3034) is to throw down, shoot (arrows), and cast (down). With a deeper root meaning (H3027) by hand, power, strength for a monument or as a trophy or sign.
So here we see Sibbechai excited to cast down or throw down the enemy which is reflects the heart of God toward Satan interwoven with the elements of praise to God for power, strength, and for the blessing of his hands to slay the enemy as a trophy or sign (homage) to the true God.
Sibbechai hands were strengthen and trained by God in the art of war, and as he used it in battle God was praised. He lived the words of the Psalmist David in victory.
“Blessed be the LORD my strength, which teacheth my hands to war, and my fingers to fight:” Psalms 144:1
We learn that Sibbechai killed the giant by hitting him and causing him hurt. This giant was the second of the three that made up the triad or the triple-braided cord which was referred to in the number three (H7969) in the weight of the spear.
What was significant about this giant?
Saph | the Tall
Saph in Hebrew (H5593) means “tall”. This may seem obvious since most giants were tall. But God wanted to communicate more to us than just the height of the giant.
In order to glean it we have to look at the deeper root meaning (H5592) which means to spread out, basin, goblet, bowl, threshold, doorkeeper, sill (which is defined according to the http://Freedictionary.com as the horizontal member that bears the upright portion of a frame). But if we look further (H5605) it also means to stand or guard the threshold, and to spread out.
Saph was the doorkeeper, which was blocking the doorway. God wanted to spread out. In order to do that the doorkeeper or the sill had to be removed. God used Sibbechai the excited weaver to remove Saph from the threshold so that something new could be weaved or plaited in its place with the purpose of pouring out for expansion (spreading out).
In other words, God was going to pour out himself in a sense on the warriors (Israel) so that as they went forward they would spread him (sow) his nature throughout the land that they conquered, thus blessing the earth with the knowledge of God. This was to fulfill the promise that God gave to Abraham in Genesis 12:3, 18:18, and 22:18 that through his seed all nations shall be blessed.
What is demonstrated here is that in order for something new to be established the strong man had to be removed first. Luke 11:21-22 and Mark 3:27 tell us that in order to enter a strongman’s house a few things have to happen first.
“When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace: But when a stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he taketh from him all his armour wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils.” Luke 11:21-22
“No man can enter into a strong man’s house, and spoil his goods, except he will first bind the strong man; and then he will spoil his house.” Mark 3:27
- One stronger than the strongman must come upon him
- The strongman must be bound or overtaken by the stronger man
- The stronger man must take away all his armour that the strongman trusted in
Only then can the strongman’s spoils be divided. This is exactly what God had Israel do! They entered the strongman’s home (Satan) and they took away his weapons by the power of a stronger strongman (God), thus they were able to spoil the house.
In this verse it is specifically mentioned that Saph was of the the sons of the giant (H7497).
The Giant | Rapha (Healers)
The Hebrew meaning for the word giant rapha (H7497) is Rephaim. It means a champion or hero that casts down or throws down. The primitive root word rapha (H7495) means to heal, make healthful, to be healed, healer, physician (of men).
The Lexicon states that it means to sew together, to mend, repair, to heal as a wound, to cause oneself to be healed. This is interesting in light of the fact that in Revelation 13:3 on of the heads of the beast had a fatal wound which would miraculously be healed and it would cause the world to be filled with wonder and follow after the beast.
As pointed out in lesson one Ishbibenob and the Fallen,
This information helps us to see another sin of the giants. They were encouraging self healing or healing without God but rather with the use of healers or physicians. They would sew you up and mend you together.
Let us look at Deut. 18:11:
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Careful examination of the word charmer from the above verse reveals that charmers sew and bind together. The giants were charmer who practiced the art of healing by sew and mending together by the power of their god, whose seat was in Nob.
Thus, it is safe to conclude that their knowledge, power, and abilities came from the fallen one. The one who was referenced in Isaiah 14:12.”
“How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!”
By utilizing the ability of healing, the giants (practitioners) can cause onlookers to follow after them (or Satan) and turn away from following the true God. It is important that we remember that it is the Lord our God that heals us through the pressure that was put on Christ Jesus on the cross.
God removed the giant that blocked the doorway to him, and he disarmed him. Christ is the possessor of the keys to hell and death according to Revelation 1:18. The true strong man has stripped the pretending strongman and entered his house.
“I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.” Revelation 1:18
In addition, Jesus has given us authority to do the same in His wonderful, powerful and matchless name and he promises to be in the midst!
“Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” Matthew 18:18-20
We will learn about the second giant and how he fell by the hand of God in the next lesson entitled The Naked vs. The House of Bread.
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